HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – IUPUI won its third straight game with a 3-1 win over Northern Kentucky on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 22).
 
IUPUI (12-11, 8-2 Horizon) completed a 3-0 road trip with the win over the Norse despite hitting under .200 for the second-straight game.  The defense for the Norse held IUPUI in check with 111 digs including four players in double-figures which forced the Jags to count on its defense.
 
The Jag defense forced Northern Kentucky (9-10, 5-5 Horizon) in to a .125 hitting percentage with 12 blocks, the third-straight game with double-digit blocks, and took advantage of 34 attack errors.
 
IUPUI had three players post double-doubles in Kori Waelbroeck (13 kills, 13 digs), Elizabeth Scott (10 kills, 17 digs) and Maggie Gibson (41 assists, 19 digs).
 
On the defensive end, Jessica Helms led the way for the Jags with 20 digs and Abby Boatman had seven blocks. Haley Hoffman, Waelbroeck and Gibson each finished with five blocks.
 
Set one was a back-and-forth affair with neither offense playing well. IUPUI hit only .161 in the frame but the defense responded for the Jags holding Northern Kentucky to .098 hitting. The Jags also finished the set with five blocks and used that defense to turn the momentum of the set.
 
Boatman teamed with Gibson and Fisher for back-to-back blocks to end a Northern Kentucky run and put the Jags up 9-8. Later in the set Boatman and Gibson stuffed another Norse attack to break a 17-17 tie.
 
Looking to close out the set, Hoffman and Scott sent back a kill attempt from Laura Crawford to give IUPUI set point and Waelbroeck would finish the set with a strong cross-court kill.
 
Set two was tight until the Jags grabbed a four-point lead at 14-10 after kills by Waelbroeck and Fisher and two NKU attack errors.
 
IUPUI would continue to answer any run by the Norse never letting Northern Kentucky to get any close than two and forced a timeout up 20-16 after a kill by Boatman and a service ace from McKayla Wright.
 
Northern Kentucky continued to threaten but the Jags managed to keep at least a two-point lead until a Norse kill made it 23-22. After a kill by Waelbroeck gave the Jags set point, NKU pulled back within one, but Boatman ended the set with a kill off the block and gave IUPUI a 2-0 lead at the break.
 
After the intermission, Northern Kentucky used 4-0 run, featuring two kills by Bailey Western to take a 12-9 lead. A timeout by head coach Steve Payne energized the Jags who went on a 6-1 run to take a 15-13 lead.
 
The Norse answered and held an 18-16 lead before a kill by Waelbroeck and two errors gave the Jags a 19-18 lead. After that it was all NKU, ending the set on a 7-2 run and forcing a fourth set.
 
IUPUI looked like a well-oiled machine in the beginning of set four jumping out to a 12-6 lead after a kill by Hoffman, but things changed quickly as NKU used an 8-3 run to cut the Jags lead to one at 15-14.  The Jags increased its lead to 20-16 thanks in part to four errors by Northern Kentucky.
 
The Norse responded with a 3-0 run that was stopped by a kill from Hoffman and another attack error gave IUPUI a 22-20 lead.  The teams traded points and the Jags earned match point off of a Fisher kill.  Boatman delivered the final blow giving IUPUI the 25-22 set win and 3-1 match win.
 
The Jags return home for two games next weekend playing host to Youngstown State on Friday (Oct. 27) and Cleveland State (Oct. 28). The match against Youngstown State will start at 6 p.m. and will be IUPUI's annual Dig Pink match.